California college students want more online courses, but can they catch up to in-class peers? - BRIANA MENDEZ-PADILLA AND ADAM ECHELMAN, Cal Matters

In July, the U.S. Education Department proposed new rules that would call on colleges and universities to collect more data about online courses, including students’ attendance. The California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office responded to the regulations by submitting a public comment document, saying they hope the department will consider the “new costs” to develop the infrastructure to collect the data. The UC also answered publicly, saying data collection might create “confusion and stymie the development of future online education programs.” In an email to CalMatters, the Cal State system stated they were “generally in support” of the regulations and trust that the federal department will consider the potential impact on diverse student populations juggling different responsibilities.

https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/california-college-students-want-more-online-courses-but-can-they-catch-up/

AI in Education Is Here - Avrel Seale, UT Austin

 Julie Schell, Assistant Vice Provost of Academic Technology, thinks of AI as having two kinds of use: transactional and transformative, and whether its use is good or bad in either case depends on the situation. “There are times it’s okay to use it as a transactional tool: ‘I need a list of ideas for planning dinner for the week,’ or ‘I need a list of ideas for a meeting coming up,’ or ‘Help me brainstorm research ideas.’ Those are low-stakes transactions, and we need to help students understand when transactional use is OK.” But in this transactional category, she once experimented with using AI to write letters of recommendation, something that can be a time-consuming task for those in academia. “When I read what it said, it wasn’t fair. It wasn’t me. It didn’t have the flavor of how I really thought about the student, and I didn’t think it was fair to my student for me to use that output,” she says.

https://news.utexas.edu/2024/09/10/ai-in-education-is-here/

AI as tutor and critic: using tech to personalise education - Michael Butler, Times Higher Education

Much of the focus in higher education on generative AI has been the existential threat it raises with respect to assessment. However, large language models (LLMs) also have constructive applications. At the law school at King’s College London, we wanted to focus on the learning potential, specifically using AI “as tutor” and for feedback. We used as our starting point a 2023 paper by Ethan R. Mollick and Lilach Mollick of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania that sets out seven approaches for using LLM tools for learning. The experience highlighted benefits (such as time management) and limitations (hallucinations) of artificial intelligence in education, and it left us with a list of suggestions for instructors using AI to personalise learning.

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/ai-tutor-and-critic-using-tech-personalise-education

9 in 10 online learners experience positive ROI from degree program - Jessica Bryant Stacker, The Olympian

In 2024, 93% of surveyed students told BestColleges their online degree has or will have a positive return on investment (ROI). The percentage of online learners who say this has increased by five percentage points since 2019. More than 8 in 10 online students (81%) also say that online education is better than or equal to on-campus learning. Further, 97% say they would recommend online education to others.Despite online education being perceived as more affordable than in-person instruction, 48% of online learners say tuition costs and program fees were one of the biggest challenges to enrolling.

https://www.theolympian.com/news/business/article292237770.html

5 Unusual Habits That Indicate a High Level of Intelligence - Holly Burns, New Trader U

We often equate intelligence with academic prowess, impressive degrees, or mastery of complex subjects. However, intelligence is a multifaceted quality that shows up in unexpected ways. Recent studies have uncovered fascinating links between quirky habits and high cognitive ability. Let’s explore five of these surprising habits and what they might reveal about the workings of a brilliant mind.

https://www.newtraderu.com/2024/09/03/5-unusual-habits-that-indicate-a-high-level-of-intelligence/

Why agents are the next frontier of generative AI - McKinsey Quarterly

We are beginning an evolution from knowledge-based, gen-AI-powered tools—say, chatbots that answer questions and generate content—to gen AI–enabled “agents” that use foundation models to execute complex, multistep workflows across a digital world. In short, the technology is moving from thought to action. Broadly speaking, “agentic” systems refer to digital systems that can independently interact in a dynamic world. While versions of these software systems have existed for years, the natural-language capabilities of gen AI unveil new possibilities, enabling systems that can plan their actions, use online tools to complete those tasks, collaborate with other agents and people, and learn to improve their performance. Gen AI agents eventually could act as skilled virtual coworkers, working with humans in a seamless and natural manner.

https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/why-agents-are-the-next-frontier-of-generative-ai

Is AI Making Degrees Useless? The White-Collar Apocalypse - Julie McCoy, Youtube

White-collar jobs are susceptible to AI automation because of the routine cognitive tasks, data analysis, and language-based tasks. Among the jobs  that are at risk of automation, include financial analysts, accountants, paralegals, legal researchers, journalists, and content creators. Even middle management jobs involving routine decision-making and data analysis are susceptible to automation. AI is advancing in its ability to replicate human reasoning and behavior. McCoy mentions a CEO predicting a future with 10 billion robots in people's homes.The best way to prepare for the future is to develop skills that complement AI, such as emotional intelligence, creativity, and problem-solving skills. The future belongs to those who can collaborate with AI and use it to their advantage. (GenAI assisted with summary)

https://youtu.be/ewuYYvFBdpI?feature=shared

U of A slashes more than $100 million of budget shortfall - Eric Fink, News 4 Tucson

University of Arizona leadership revealed, Thursday, the university currently has a budget deficit of $63 million. That's down from the $177 million shortfall that was projected in January of this year. The university maintains it slashed $114 million of deficit without academics seeing drastic cuts. "The highest percentage of reductions came on the administrative side," UA spokesman Mitch Zak said. "Really, the priority from day one was to protect our workforce, our tremendous faculty, staff and student leaders who are working on campus because that is the backbone of the university."

https://www.kvoa.com/news/u-of-a-slashes-more-than-100-million-of-budget-shortfall/article_5643200a-6bee-11ef-aa7c-5761a76e92e4.html

Adult online learners are money-motivated. Are your programs supporting their career goals? - Alcino Donadel, University Business

Online programs are gaining as much—if not more—clout than colleges’ and universities’ on-campus offerings, and a new report from Risepoint shows this can’t be more true for adult learners and first-generation students. Of the 3,460 people surveyed who are seeking to enroll, currently enrolled or have graduated from an online program within the last 12 months, 90% believe the quality of an online degree is comparable to or better than an on-campus diploma. The mean age of survey respondents was 38, and Risepoint found a “significant portion” were also first-generation, which, in last year’s report, made up one-third of all respondents.

https://universitybusiness.com/report-adult-online-learners-are-money-motivated-are-your-programs-supporting-their-career-goals/

Experts Gathered to Discuss Challenges Facing Higher Education - Liann Herder, Diverse Education

Dr. Nicholas B. Dirks, president and CEO of The New York Academy of Sciences, held a conversation earlier this week with two higher education experts about the current crises facing postsecondary institutions: rising tuition costs and student debt, decreased state and federal funding, an increased criticism of a humanities-centered education, and the value proposition of higher education. “Getting into college is harder and harder,” said Dirks. “Even though there are wonderful colleges and universities across the states and country, they can’t find enough students to enroll, and every year there are headlines about colleges folding or being acquired.”

https://www.diverseeducation.com/faculty-staff/article/15683316/experts-gathered-in-brooklyn-to-discuss-challenges-facing-higher-education

AI may not steal many jobs after all. It may just make workers more efficient - Paul Wiseman, AP

The arrival of generative AI has raised worries that chatbots will replace freelance writers, editors, coders, telemarketers, customer-service reps, paralegals and many more.“AI is going to eliminate a lot of current jobs, and this is going to change the way that a lot of current jobs function,’' Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, said in a discussion at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in May. Yet the widespread assumption that AI chatbots will inevitably replace service workers, the way physical robots took many factory and warehouse jobs, isn’t becoming reality in any widespread way — not yet, anyway. And maybe it never will. The White House Council of Economic Advisers said last month that it found “little evidence that AI will negatively impact overall employment.’’ The advisers noted that history shows technology typically makes companies more productive, speeding economic growth and creating new types of jobs in unexpected ways.

https://apnews.com/article/ai-jobs-artificial-intelligence-hiring-employers-unemployment-e57eb040009d77ddcce1574d1c1915fc

OpenAI unveils Orion: The next leap in AI with GPT-5 Strawberry technology - Sededin Dedovic, Financial World

OpenAI, one of the leaders in artificial intelligence development, is on the brink of launching its latest groundbreaking AI model, codenamed Orion. Built using the innovative GPT-5 Strawberry technology, Orion aims to push the boundaries of complex reasoning capabilities while minimizing errors. The significance of this development was highlighted by a recent demonstration of GPT-5 Strawberry technology to U.S. federal officials, underscoring the increasing importance of AI in U.S. national security and OpenAI's commitment to transparency with decision-makers. At the heart of Orion is the GPT-5 Strawberry technology, an innovative approach designed to enhance AI's ability to reason, plan, and solve complex problems. By extending the "thinking" time of AI when tackling challenges, GPT-5 Strawberry enables Orion to deliver more accurate and reliable results.

https://www.financial-world.org/news/news/financial/27207/openai-unveils-orion-the-next-leap-in-ai-with-gpt5-strawberry-technology/

OpenAI’s Project Strawberry will become ChatGPT-5, launch soon, and be better at math than any chatbot, insiders say - Graham Barlow, TechRadar

More details of OpenAI’s secretive Project Strawberry have dropped, including its expected release date and the areas it will specialize in. A recent report in The Information quotes “two people who have been involved in the effort”, and goes on to say that Project Strawberry could drop this fall [so September-November], and be better at math and programming than any chatbot we’ve seen so far. 

https://www.techradar.com/computing/artificial-intelligence/openais-project-strawberry-will-become-chatgpt5-launch-soon-insiders-say

3 ways AI can smooth our inevitable move to a 4-day workweek - Marcus Mossberger, Fast Company

For executives, the impending four-day workweek will inevitably bring on new questions of productivity, output, and outcomes. How do I ensure my people are producing the same level, or better, outcomes while putting in less work? The good news is that as artificial intelligence takes on a bigger role at work, managers can lean into AI tools to redesign how we work, so that we can get more done in less time. For those on the cusp of embracing a four-day workweek, here are three ways you can lean into AI to ensure a successful transition. 

https://www.fastcompany.com/91145281/3-ways-ai-can-smooth-our-inevitable-move-to-a-4-day-workweek

7 new (and improved) things you can do with ChatGPT-4o - Emma Street, TechRadar

7 new (and improved) things you can do with ChatGPT-4o - Emma Street, TechRadar

ChatGPT-4o can handle more complex instructions and follow them more accurately than its predecessors. It's more adept at understanding and executing multi-step instructions or those that require a higher level of reasoning. One of the most striking differences between version 4 and its predecessor is that you can now upload documents into the prompt window. ChatGPT-4 can analyze Word documents, spreadsheets, and images. ChatGPT-4 also enables you to use other users' customized GPTs and even allows you to create your own. We'll be looking at that in more detail below. (note: check out my custom GPT https://chatgpt.com/g/g-pLDOh2PHk-ray-s-eduai-advisor )

https://www.techradar.com/how-to/how-to-use-chatgpt4

Technology is burning out faculty, survey shows - Colin Wood, EdScoop

The report, published last week by the innovation arm of Western Governors University, polled 359 faculty members from colleges and universities, most of whom reported that they expect more edtech to be used in their classrooms. But less than a third of respondents reported belief that changes in the classroom were “heading in the right direction.” This broad concern included a belief held by 58% of respondents that technologies would lead to faculty having less autonomy in designing courses. Forty-one percent reported burnout and 79% reported they were constantly “on the job” because of technology.

https://edscoop.com/university-college-faculty-technology-burnout-wgu-survey/

OpenAI says ChatGPT's weekly users have grown to 200 million - Reuters

 ChatGPT, launched in 2022, can generate human-like responses based on user prompts and had 100 million weekly active users, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman had said in November. OpenAI said 92% of Fortune 500 companies are using its products and the use of its automated Application Programming Interface, or API, which allows software programs to talk to each other, has doubled since the launch of ChatGPT-4o mini in July. Separately, AI startups OpenAI and Anthropic signed deals with the U.S. government for research, testing and evaluation of their artificial intelligence models, the U.S. Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute said earlier in the day.

https://www.reuters.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/openai-says-chatgpts-weekly-users-have-grown-200-million-2024-08-29/

OpenAI’s First College Partnership Sheds Light on How GPT Is Used in Higher Education - Alexandra Tremayne-Pengelly, Observer

At the beginning of this year, Arizona State University (ASU) became the first higher education institution to partner with OpenAI to integrate A.I. in coursework, tutoring and research. Now, eight months later, the university’s foray into A.I. has led to the creation of around 250 projects backed by ChatGPT, OpenAI revealed in an update today (Aug. 26).  Universities, like ASU, have embraced the technology as a way to enhance student potential. “The goal here was to really drive what future uses of A.I. technologies can look like and to help guide the design of new technology,” Kyle Bowen, ASU’s deputy chief information officer, told Observer.

https://observer.com/2024/08/openai-arizona-state-university-partnership/

The versatile leader: How learning to adapt makes CEOs better - Ana Maor, Hans-Werner Kaas, Kurt Strovink, and Ramesh Srinivasan; McKinsey

Some of the most innovative and creative people in history succeeded because they were versatile. They were able to master more than one discipline and then combine them to forge new ideas and inventions. Benjamin Franklin, for instance, the quintessential Renaissance man, was a writer, printer, scientist, and politician. He played a key role in drafting the Declaration of Independence, helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris to end the American Revolution, and published Poor Richard’s Almanack, which helped shape American political thought. In this chapter excerpt from our new book, The Journey of Leadership: How CEOs Learn to Lead from the Inside Out (Portfolio, September 2024), we explore how today’s business leaders can similarly turn their diverse experiences into meaningful outcomes.

https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/the-versatile-leader-how-learning-to-adapt-makes-ceos-better?

How to Use ChatGPT at Work - HubSpot

Discover the key to unlocking unparalleled productivity with this ultimate guide to revolutionizing your workflow. Plus, 100 prompt ideas to help you unleash the power of generative AI. Meet your ultimate guide to tapping into the powerful capabilities of ChatGPT and amplifying your productivity. This eBook provides a comprehensive understanding of ChatGPT's functionalities, equipping you with the knowledge to streamline workflows, accelerate decision-making, foster collaboration, and implement best practices. Get ready to revolutionize your workday and unlock unparalleled efficiency with ChatGPT! (it is free)

https://offers.hubspot.com/using-chatgpt-at-work